In a week that saw me buy the new album by Aqua, I start the question what year it is, as the new greatest hits from Steps - dubbed 'The Ultimate Collection' - dropped through my door. I had to pick it up as they were one of my favourite bands from my childhood and the cheap price was not to be missed.
The first question to ask would be, why pick this up if you own 'Gold', the greatest hits the band released after they split up. Well, buy it if:
> You want to own a DVD of their twenty videos, even if some, especially the first two, looked like they've been ripped off YouTube even on a modest 28'' plasma
> You'd rather hear 'I Know Him So Well', 'You'll Be Sorry' and their new cover of Abba's 'Dancing Queen', than 'Baby Don't Dance', 'Only In My Dreams' (these two not singles, only on Gold) and 'Words Are Not Enough'
> You prefer tracks in chronological rather than music-following order
On CD one there's not much to complain about. I do prefer albums that list their songs in random order, not chronological as here, but it's not a deal breaker. It's nice to hear some new material, even if it is just a by-numbers cover of the Abba classic 'Dancing Queen', but would rather have had 'Words Are Not Enough' on it, though this is included on the bonus DVD. All the songs are there and sound as fresh as they did all those years ago.
Aside from a few quality issues aside, the bonus DVD is a welcome addition, even if scant on extras or even exciting menus, with all the videos there, from the Thunderbirds-spoofing 'Better Best Forgotten', to the movie-pastiches of 'Say You'll Be Mine', to Lisa's sexy doctor in 'Chain Reaction' to Lee's, erm, occasional singing appearances. Oh, and some dodgy CGI and blue-screen work as we look back on it through 2011 eyes.
If you hated Steps then you'll naturally avoid this like H does anything involving not being hyperactive, but if you enjoyed the music of the band then there's much to enjoy here, even if you already own 'Gold'. There's a few dodgy decisions in the ordering of the tracks and a few missed off - maybe a new original single would have been nice since they went to the trouble of going into the studio to record the Abba track - but it's a nice enough collection and the trip-down-memory-lane DVD of videos is a top inclusion.
[8/10]
Friday 7 October 2011
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